What to Do When Quicken 2012 Files Get Too Big

You can enter a large number of transactions in a Quicken 2012 file; in fact, you can record tens of thousands of transactions in a single account or file. In spite of these huge numbers, there are some good reasons to work with smaller files if you can. For example, working with files of a manageable size means that you can more easily and more quickly back them up.

If your files have gotten too big for their own good, you can knock them down to size by creating a new file that contains only the current year’s transactions. You end up with a copy of the big file that you won’t use anymore and a smaller, shrunken file with just the current year’s transactions.

Working with a smaller file probably means that Quicken will run faster. (The memory thing comes into play again.) And smaller files should make backing up easier because you can probably keep your files small enough to fit on just about any storage device.

Also, fewer transactions mean that Quicken runs faster because more memory is available for Windows. (Windows likes lots of memory — the same way that some people like lots of ice cream.)

Note: There are good reasons to work with large files when you can as well. Having several years of data at your fingertips, for example, is handy. With several years of data, you can easily get answers to all sorts of questions: how much money wealthy relatives have given you over the years, how much cable television has gone up in price, and so on.